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Bay County veterans office faces state grant cut to about $70,338 for fiscal 2025
Summary
The county expected $99,000 but learned the state allocation was reduced by $29,584.76, leaving approximately $70,338; staff said the cut reflects more counties applying and that monthly reporting and other administrative changes are being considered by the state.
Bay County Veterans Affairs staff told the committee on March 18 that a state Veterans Service Fund allocation for fiscal 2025 will be lower than expected: the county had anticipated about $99,000 but will receive a reduced allocation of approximately $70,338 after a cut of $29,584.76.
"We were gonna get 99,000, and they came back ... cutting at $29,584.76, which is gonna leave us $70,338," the chair summarized after a recent state briefing. Staff said the reduction stems from more counties applying for the statewide fund this year; roughly $4.2 million is the statewide pool for all 83 counties, and as more counties apply the per-county allocation can fall.
Staff said Bay County has a fund balance and a stable base allocation (noted in the meeting as a $50,000 base amount) and does not expect immediate cuts to services, but administrative changes could increase staff workload. The state may move from quarterly to monthly reporting for grant reimbursements, and staff said that would change internal processing from a two-hour quarterly exercise to a monthly task that could increase time spent on reporting.
The county also discussed a state suggestion to provide counties a base $50,000 up front and then settle remaining funds in the following year after receipts and reconciliations, to avoid forecasting errors that led to overcommitments earlier in the program's history.
Staff said Bay County's relative history (it was among the first counties to establish a county department of veterans affairs under state statute) had previously resulted in higher allocations in past years, but this year many more counties applied and the statewide forecast did not hold.
Ending: The committee was briefed on the grant reduction and administrative changes; staff said they will monitor impacts and may review future budget priorities, but did not propose immediate program cuts.
